Communications apparatus, server apparatus, and information processing system

Abstract

According to an aspect of the invention, a communications apparatus for transmitting one or more items of information to a processing system which performs predetermined processes using the information comprises: a storage part storing the items of information; a transmission designation part designating the transmission; a transmission part waiting and storing the items of information for an information wait time, and collectively transmitting the stored items of the information to the processing system; a wait time determining part obtaining both a first time required for collectively transmitting the stored items and a second time required for individually transmitting the items, comparing the first time with the second time, and thereby setting a shorter of the two times as the information wait time in the transmission part.

1 . A communications apparatus for transmitting one or more items of information to a processing system which performs predetermined processes using the information, said communications apparatus comprising:
 a storage part which stores the items of information every time an item of information is provided;   a transmission designation part which designates the transmission of the items of information;   a transmission part which, upon receiving a transmission designation from the transmission designation part, waits for an information wait time, then collectively transmits the items of information stored during the information wait time, to the processing system; and   a wait time determining part which obtains a first time required for collectively transmitting both the items of information stored at the time designated by the transmission designation part and the items of information stored during the information wait time, and a second time required for individually transmitting both the items of information stored at the time designated by the transmission designation part and the items of information provided to the storage part afterwards in order to transmit all stored information to reach the processing system, compares the first time with the second time, and thereby sets a shorter of the two times as the information wait time in the transmission part.   
   
   
       2 . The communications apparatus according to  claim 1 , said communications apparatus further comprising:
 a tracking part which tracks how likely it is that communication between said communications apparatus and said processing apparatus will be severed; and   an upper threshold determination part which, based on the likelihood of communication being severed, determines the upper threshold of the size of information collectively transmitted by said transmission part, the upper threshold decreasing as communication is more likely to be severed;   wherein said transmission part, even at a point in time before said information wait time has elapsed, starts collectively transmitting information stored up until said point in time if the size of information stored up until that point in time has reached said upper threshold.   
   
   
       3 . The communications apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a response reception part which receives results responses returned from said processing system; and   a removing part which removes from said storage part the information corresponding to the results response received by said response reception part;   wherein said processing system performs said predetermined process using the information transmitted from said communications apparatus, generates said results response for expressing the process results, and returns said results response to said communications apparatus.   
   
   
       4 . The communications apparatus according to  claim 1 , said communications apparatus further comprising:
 a response reception part which receives results responses which are collectively returned from said processing system; and   a response reply part which returns each results response collectively received by said response reception part such that each piece of information corresponding to each results response is individually returned to each predetermined information source provided to said storage part; wherein   said storage part which receives each item of information from each predetermined information source;   
     said processing system further including:
 a first part which receives each item of information collectively transmitted from said communications apparatus; 
 a second part which individually performs said predetermined processing on said each item of information; 
 a third part which generates a results response for each item of information, said results response expressing the processing result of said predetermined process; and 
 a fourth part which collectively returns these results responses to said communications apparatus. 
 
   
   
       5 . An information processing system comprising:
 a processing system for performing predetermined processes using items of information; and   a communications apparatus for transmitting said items of information to said processing system; wherein said communications apparatus includes:   a storage part which, every time one of said information items is provided, stores said information item;   a transmission designation part which designates the transmission of said items of information;   a transmission part which, upon receiving a designation of items of information from said transmission designation part, waits for an information wait time established in advance, then collectively transmits to said processing system the information items stored in said storage part until after the information wait time has ended; and   a wait time establishing part which establishes in said transmission part an information wait time such that the time required for all information items to reach said processing system is shorter in the case of the information wait time resulting when waiting only for said information wait time and collectively transmitting the stored information, than in the case for the information wait time resulting when individually transmitting the information stored when said transmission designation part has designated a transmission and when transmitting the information items provided to said storage part without waiting for said information wait time;   said processing system further includes:   a reception part which receives information items transmitted from said communications apparatus; and   a processing part which performs said predetermined processes using the information items received from said reception part.   
   
   
       6 . A server apparatus comprising:
 a reception part which receives one or more items of information from a communications apparatus which transmits said information items to acquire a results response for expressing the processing results of predetermined processes performed using said information items;   a response reception part which relays information items received by said reception part to a processing apparatus that performs predetermined processes and receives said results responses;   a reply part which returns to said communications apparatus the results response received by said response reception part; and   an alternate reply part which, when said response reception part can not receive said results response even after a predetermined response wait time has elapsed after said information item was received by said reception part, instead of returning the said results response from said reply, returns a processing in progress response to said communications apparatus which expresses that said predetermined process is still continuing.   
   
   
       7 . The server apparatus according to  claim 6 , wherein
 said communications apparatus retransmits said information items when said results response was not acquired even if a predetermined retransmission wait time has elapsed after said information was transmitted, and   said alternate reply part which returns said process in progress response in a format recognized by said communications apparatus as one type of said results response.   
   
   
       8 . The server apparatus according to  claim 6 , wherein
 said communications apparatus retransmits said information items when said results response was not acquired even if a predetermined retransmission wait time has elapsed after said information was transmitted, and   said alternate reply part adopts as said response wait time a time at which said process in progress response reaches said communications apparatus before said retransmission wait time has elapsed at said communications apparatus.   
   
   
       9 . The server apparatus according to  claim 6 , said server apparatus further comprising:
 said reception part which receives said information items in addition to receiving a retransmission wait time attached to said information items; and   said alternate reply part which uses as said response wait time a time which is shorter than the retransmission wait time received by said reception part; wherein   said communications apparatus, when said results response was not acquired even after a predetermined retransmission wait time has elapsed after said information was transmitted, retransmits said information items in addition to attaching said retransmission wait time to said information items when transmitting said information.   
   
   
       10 . The server apparatus according to  claim 6 , wherein
 said reception part receives information items collectively transmitted from said communications apparatus;   said response reception part expresses each item of information collectively received by said reception part to each processing apparatus for performing a predetermined process corresponding to each said item of information, and which individually receives said results responses for each said item of information; and   said reply part which collectively returns to said communications device the results responses which were individually received by said response reception part;   
     wherein
 said communications apparatus, having been provided with said information, waits only for the information wait time which was established in advance, and collectively transmits the information items stored up to the point in time after said communications apparatus stopped waiting. 
 
   
   
       11 . The server apparatus according to  claim 6 , wherein
 said alternate reply part returns as said process in progress response in a format recognized by said communications apparatus as one type of said results response;   said communications apparatus, when said processing in progress response is returned during said retransmission wait time, changes retransmission to said information after said retransmission wait time has elapsed, thereby transmitting alternate information having a smaller transmission size than the indicated said information; and   said alternate reply part returns said process in progress response to said communications apparatus if a results response corresponding to the information indicated by said alternate information by said response reception part was not received even after said response wait time from when said alternate information was received by said reception part has elapsed; wherein   said communications apparatus retransmits said information items when said results response was not acquired even if the predetermined retransmission wait time from when said information was transmitted has elapsed.   
   
   
       12 . An information processing system comprising:
 a server apparatus including;   a reception part which receives one or more items of information from a communications apparatus for transmitting said items of information in order to acquire a results response which expresses the processing results of a predetermined process performed using the information,   a response reception part which receives said results response and sends the items of information received from said reception part to a processing apparatus which performs said predetermined process,   a reply part which returns the results response received by said response reception part to the communications apparatus, and   an alternate reply part which, when said results response was not received by said response reception part even after said items of information were received by the reception part and the predetermined response wait time had elapsed, changes said results response from said reply part then returns a processing in progress response for expressing that said predetermined process is continuing,   the communications apparatus including;   a transmission part which transmits said items of information,   a response reception part which receives said results response or said processing in progress response, and   a retransmission part which retransmits said items of information to said transmission part when neither said results response nor said processing in progress response was received by said response reception part even after said transmission part transmitted said items of information when the predetermined retransmission wait time had elapsed.